Debbie W. Wilson

Refreshing Faith

Are You the One Jesus Loves?

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Do you see yourself as “the one Jesus loves”? That may sound self-absorbed, but I believe it shows faith. The Apostle John repeatedly referred to himself as “the one Jesus loved.” See John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 20. Any of the disciples could have used this description. Jesus loved them all (Jn. 13:1). But John personalized Jesus’ love. Jesus loved John!

Too often, I hear Christians emphasizing where we fall short. After hearing a message, many leave feeling beat up instead of built up. Focusing on our sin instead of on God’s gift of righteousness undermines the message of grace and the role of faith. This works-centered focus promotes a self-centered life instead of Christ-centered one.

The Apostle Paul wrote,

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (italics added; Rom. 1:17 NIV).

It’s illogical to tell unbelievers we are “saved by grace through faith” and then tell ourselves we are accepted on the basis of our performance. Continue Reading

What Does Faith Look Like?

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What does faith look like? Larry shared an experience that exemplifies faith to me.

Larry wanted to tell a woman, I’ll call Jewel, about Jesus. But an inner restraint said, “Not now.” He prayed this woman would find the Lord and asked God for the right opportunity.

God heard his prayer and began to show Himself to her apart from Larry. One day Jewel brought up God with Larry.

Jewel volunteers in a local Ronald MacDonald Family Room that offers a place for family members of seriously ill children to sleep, shower, and launder their clothes. We can imagine the heartbreaking stress and financial strain of its guests.

One woman arrived and handed $5.00 and a coupon to one of the volunteers and asked her to bring her a tray of food from the hospital cafeteria. The volunteer returned and said she was sorry, but they couldn’t take the coupon and $5 wouldn’t go far there. The woman pocketed her $5 and shrugged. She asked to use the shower.

A man in worn clothes who sat reading a book on prayer overheard the exchange. After a bit, he asked Jewel, “How long will she be in the shower?”Continue Reading

When My Priorities Clash with His

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Years ago, a little booklet called My Heart, Christ’s Home, challenged us to move from viewing Christ as a guest in our hearts to giving Him full ownership and control of our lives. One morning I woke up with that analogy on my mind.

I thought about my literal house as a picture of my soul. I imagined the clash in priorities Christ and I might have if He came to help me bring order to my home.

Here is my imagined conversation with Christ:

“Let’s tackle the front porch. After we power wash it, we can give it a fresh coat of paint. Instant impact, and everyone sees the front porch,” I said.

Christ shook His head. “Your desk needs organizing.”

“No one sees my desk,” I pushed back.

“But you spend a lot of time there,” He said. “Your life will flow better if you cleaned out the distractions and organized your priorities.”Continue Reading

How a Storm’s Anger Revealed God’s Angels

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Rain poured—as expected. In the early evening the wind suddenly picked up. The crepe myrtle branches outside my kitchen window swirled as if agitated in a giant washing machine. Whoa! I’d heard Hurricane Michael wasn’t bringing strong winds.

I strode to the front porch to check on the larger trees near our house. A giant gumball tree leaned precariously. “Ginny,” I yelled to my daughter.

The tree tilted toward her parked car. She needed to move it fast!

We have a circle drive, in our wooded front yard, where our kids park their cars. Because of the warnings around Hurricane Florence we moved their cars to protect them from flying debris during that storm. But Hurricane Michael wasn’t supposed to bring much wind.

I should have taken notice when the governor declared a state of emergency. The storm’s anger stunned me. So did God’s angels.Continue Reading

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